Choosing Apps For The Classroom

Tiffany Baker, Jared Miller, Amber Beedle, Macy Nolan, Rachel Sheffield, Shoshana Rosen

Question:

How does one evaluate which types of programs, using technology, are most effective in the classroom?

Benefits of using iPads and Apps in the ECE classroom (Intro)

Children are intuitive learners and are knowledgeable to their surrounding technologies.

iPads are a great way to compliment our more traditional methods of teaching and learning.

Many learning Apps are created in the format of games, making learning a fun and interactive experience.

Responsibility and the practice of care and respect are also lessons to be learned from classroom iPads.

What to look for in the Apps? (Criteria) Math Splash Bingo

Animal Math Splash Math Math Planet

Cost

Easy to use

Parent/Teacher accessibility to achievement (Assessment)

Alignment with standards

Differentiation

Math Splash BingoHow to play: A math question will be displayed for you to answer. Tap the square with the number you think is the answer and it will put one of your animals on the square to mark your answer. To win at Bingo you need to connect your answer squares in a line. You can win making a full line across the board side to side, top to bottom, or corner to corner.

Types of games: You can choose the type of game you want to play by tapping the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division symbols. You can also choose the difficulty level from 3 options.

Scores: If you want to you can enter your name and you can keep track of your best scores over time. If you don’t enter a name you can still play as a guest.

Animal MathTypes of games: This app is available for Pre-k through 2nd grade. A different animal represents each of the different types of math you can do, addition, counting, sequence, etc. The app covers several of the core curriculum standards, such as comparing numbers & count order, patterns & sequence, skip counting, classification, shape identification & comparison, and addition & subtraction.

Scores: The game doesn’t record your score, but you can replay the levels as many times as wanted or needed. There also is no way to assess or to let parents or teachers know of the progress each student has made. .

Splash Math Types of games: The types of possible games depend on the grade level that is selected. For example, first grade has 15 math skills that can be practiced from counting and place holding, to addition, subtraction, and using money. All of the games are simple and set to an ocean life theme. Every grade has a different animal theme.

Parent/Teacher accessibility: This app is connected with another app called Splash math parents. It can be downloaded on the parent or teacher’s device and they can check/monitor the student's work. If they only have a computer and not a device that supports apps, they can also use the splash math parents website on any computer. Each student has a login so their account can be accessed wherever the website can be accessed.

Math PlanetTypes of games: You start out by creating a profile and choosing your grade level. As you begin playing the different levels they will move you to the correct grade level. You can choose to use a math planet app that correlates to your specific grade level or you can use the general app that had grades 1-8. There are 100+ levels as well as 80+ common core standards throughout the app. The only one that you would be required to purchase is the one that allows for more than one grade level. Helps Practice; Number sense, addition and subtraction concepts, multiplication and division concepts, fractions, decimals, mixed numbers, measurement and geometry. This app is researched based, tested in 100 classrooms and approved by top educators.

Scores: The game tracks your ability on a dashboard in each math level so you can go back and see how you did and where you are in your math skills.

Once you choose the most effective App, how to integrate it in the classroom (Conclusion)*With Math Splash Bingo you can integrate into the classroom by having time set aside to play a bingo game, you choose which operation to do for instance if working on addition do the addition bingo, etc. This may come across to students as fun rather than doing work. Yet you can assess the kids to see where they are with each operation.

*With Animal Math you can integrate into your classroom by focusing on the subject being taught (comparison, shape identification, patterns, etc.) You can use this as more of a brain break in between lessons.

*With Splash Math you can integrate into your classroom by allowing kids to work on the math skills during study hour. This way it is at their own pace, you can assess where they are and how far they have gone by doing assessments throughout the school year.

*With Math Planet you can integrate into the classroom by giving students the option of paying the games during their “free” play. The games are very fun and competitive so students will enjoy playing them for the game aspect alone, not fully aware of the content they are learning.

BibliographyMalone, Tara. Chicago Tribune. Finger Paints, Picture Books and iPads – the Newest Classroom Tools for some Preschools, Kindergartens. May 10, 2011. Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-05-10/news/ct-met-ipad-for-prek-0511-20110510_1_ipads-preschool-classroom-kindergartensMath Splash Bingo : Fun Numbers Academy of Games and Drills for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade – Elementary & Primary School Math By DartFrog llcReinen, Bevin. Early Childhood Teacher. ECE Technology: 10 Trending Tools for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodteacher.org/blog/ece-technology-10-trending-tools-for-teachers/

Splash Math - Fun Math Practice for Grades K-5. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2016, from https://www.splashmath.com/